New Yorkers moved on; Weiner apparently couldn’t

As Steve notes, Anthony Weiner is back in the news of the sordid, this time as “Carlos Danger.” That’s the name Weiner used to conduct sexually explicit chat sessions, complete with lewd photos of himself, with a 22 year-old woman. Today Weiner admitted to the authenticity of at least some of the offending exchanges.

Weiner admitted to similar misconduct, and resigned from Congress because of it, in 2011. At that time, he said that other texts and photos were likely to be revealed.

The question thus becomes whether the exchanges that have now surfaced were sent after Weiner admitted to misconduct in 2011. If not, they are encompassed by his prior mea culpa, though voters might still think twice about electing a serial predator/exhibitionist, even if he plausibly claims to have reformed.

But if the lewd messages occurred after the mea culpa, then, contrary to his claims, Weiner was unable to put his pathological behavior behind him even after it cost him his seat in Congress and caused severe distress to his wife. Even in these times, in New York City, voters will have a tough time forgiving this.

Which is it? According to the site that broke the story (appropriately called “The Dirty”), the online relationship lasted at least until August 2012, a year after Weiner’s mea culpa. This report indicates that the relationship occurred between April and November of 2012.

In his response to the latest revelations, Weiner did not comment on the timing of that relationship. Presumably, he will have to do so. And he will be hard-pressed to lie about the timing, since Weiner’s partner in the online relationship (or victim, as she would have it) can surely document the dates of the exchanges.

Indeed, Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, said today, with Weiner present, that her husband made “horrible mistakes both before he resigned from Congress and after.” Let’s hope that New Yorkers don’t make the horrible mistake of electing this guy Mayor.

One final note. I don’t like to find amusement in the personal failings of anyone, even obnoxious politicians. But I couldn’t help but smile at word that Weiner led on his partner in the online relationship in part by saying he could get her a gig as a blogger for Politico.

I didn’t know that blogging still has that much allure.

JOHN adds: Carlos Danger? I think Weiner is trying to tell us something. His nom de guerre reminded me of a lyric from long ago:

There’s a man who leads a life of danger…

Weiner’s bizarre conduct is funny, but it is also important, or should be to anyone who might consider–God knows why–voting for him. It isn’t just immoral, it is grotesquely self-destructive. Weiner obviously needs to live on the dangerous side–a terrible quality in a politician. If he takes his family down with him, that is a personal tragedy. But if he self-destructs while Mayor of New York, the consequences may be far worse.